MONTGOMERY – Leila Chambers returned to the Jacksonville State lineup in a big way on Tuesday, belting a grand slam and driving in five runs in a 17-1 JSU rout of Alabama State.
 
Chambers, a senior from Molena, Ga., made her first appearance of the season after missing the first 20 games of the year due to a hand injury. The 2017 First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference pick wasted little time in making an impact, going 2-for-4 with the grand slam and another RBI in leading the Gamecocks (9-12) to the rout of the Hornets (8-17).
 
JSU opened up an 8-0 lead but blew the game open in the fifth, when the Gamecocks sent 14 batters to the plate en route to scoring the game's final nine runs and ending the game via the mercy rule.
 
The Gamecock offense amassed 15 hits, six of which went for extra bases. Senior Emily Woodruff doubled twice and drove in a pair, while juniors Anna Chisolm and Taylor Beshears each tripled in the game. Senior Caitlyn Sapp also had a double and an RBI. Chisolm and fellow junior Hayley Sims each drove in two runs.
 
Junior Faith Sims (6-5) didn't need much run support in the circle, where she limited ASU to a run on five hits in her five-inning complete game. The Cordova, Ala., native struck out two and walked two and needed just 82 pitches to dispose of the Hornets.
 
Skyler Sullivan (3-7) suffered the loss for ASU after allowing three runs on three hits and two walks in two innings of work. Most of JSU's damage was done against reliever Justine Jean, who gave up 12 runs on nine hits and three walks in 2 and 1/3 innings. Charlene Castro recorded the final two outs and gave up two runs on three hits in the process.
 
JSU scored three second-inning runs before a four-run third gave the Gamecocks a 7-0 lead. That was stretched to 8-0 in the fourth before the Hornets scored their lone run on a pair of JSU errors in the home half of the fourth, but JSU's nine-run fifth put the game away.
 
JSU will play its final non-conference weekend of the season this weekend, when it travels to Charleston, S.C., for the Charleston Invitational. The Gamecocks will face Georgetown at 2:30 p.m. on Friday before taking on the Hoyas and Texas on Saturday. The weekend will conclude with a Sunday meeting with host College of Charleston.